It may soon be possible to diagnose people with aphantasia, the inability to picture images in their head, using a simple test
A close-up of the human eye – the behaviour of the pupil can reveal whether someone has aphantasia
Ivan-balvan/Getty Images
As many as 3.9 per cent of people have aphantasia, the inability to picture images in one’s head. But formally diagnosing the condition is difficult. A simple physiological test involving a webcam could one day offer a solution.
Rebecca Keogh at Macquarie University in Australia and her colleagues studied the effectiveness of their test on 56 people without aphantasia and 18 people who said they have the condition.
The test is based …